Typographic plate



L. M. ADAMS. TYPOGRAPHIC PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1919.

1 ,84 l 6,583. Patented July 13, 1920'.

TOR

r v f F I? LEI/V54 ATTORNEY w INVE M. ADAMS, 0F RIDGEFIELD PARK, NEW JERSEY.

TYPOGRAPHIC PLATE. I

asaassa.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13,1920.

Application filed-September 16; 1919. Serial No. 32%,185.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS M. ADAMS, a

citizen of the United States, residing in ltidgefield Park, county of Bergen, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements. in Typographic Plates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists in a novel method of producing printing plates or other units for printing or for the formation of matrices, or for other special'purposes, and the novel plate or unit thereby produced. An object of the invention is to cheapen and expedite the manufacture of such plates or units.

The invention in general may be practised by welding, fusing or soldering or otherwise uniting ,separate type elements into an integral plate of convenient thickness for lock-up in press, or into a unit of any desired shape and size for use in printing or forming matrices as well as for other special purposes The type elements thus to be'integrated may consist in a page of linotype slugs, movable type, or any type composed in a page of any size or form.

The practice of the invention in the production of flat plates, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 showsa side sectional view of the frame in which the process is carried out, the linotype slugs being shown in place in the frame, and the plane of section being taken on the line l-.-1 of Fig.2;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the frame with linotype slugs in place and hacksaw ready to begin the cut for thinning the plate;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing a modified form of frame having bevels and grooves cast or cut in the plate;

Fig. 4 isa sectional view corresponding to Fig. l but showing a modification in which the frame is formed of. two upper andlower portions hinged together to facilitate the fusing operation.

his process produces from a page comprising a plurality of separate type units, an integral plate which is thinner and contains less metal than the original units, thus making its long preservation more economical, and permitting its use in the manner of and in the place of stereotype or electrotype press.

plates. The integral plate thus produced may be thinned if desired to standard or any other special thickness and then beveled or grooved for facilitating its lock-up in a In the appended claims the word bevel will be employed to, generically designate a simple bevel or groove, or other equi'valent. 1

Three of the specific ways of carrying out this invention may be designatedas follows:

1. As shown in Fig. l the type is locked in a special frame or chase with a slot so disposed that a saw or electrically heated nicrome wire or other severing means working in the slot, can cut off the bottom part of the type. In practice I have removed about inch from the total height of type generally inch) by this means. A hot iron or plate or flame is then applied to the back surface of the upper half of the type, fusing welding or searing the linotype slugs or other type elements into an integral plate. This plate then planed and trimmed to the desired size. If desired the type may be cast so that there is a bevel in the plate for lock-up in the press. This bevel may'be trimmed or not. Or a bevel or groove may be cut in the plate for this purpose, after theplate has been-formed as shown in Fig.

3. When the bottom or back ends of the type are severed by the fusing action of a hot wire as aforesaid, the searing action of the wire may alone suflice to leave the type fronts integrated without the additional heating and fusing operation.

2. According to the second method heat maybe directly applied to the bottom of the type page in the frame, melting away the metal until the required thicknessis attained,

and by this action or by a supplemental heating the type elements will be sufficiently fused into an integral plate, and then finished as above. I

3. According to the third specific illus- I tration of the practice heat may be applied directly to the bottom of the type #2, and may be maintained for a relatively long time, fusing it into a plate, while holding all the metal in the frame. This makes a solid plate practically as thick as the height of the type, which may then be planed and trim ed and beveled, as desired.

After the plate has been formed by any of of this invention,

- moved during the cutting operation.

the foregoing methodait may be electrometal plate or other material for drawing off the heat, or a'stream of air or liquid may be 4 passed across it.' F or instance an electric fan may be arranged to blow upon it.

Referring to the drawmgs:

l'is the frame or'cha'se in which the type are held for cutting andfusing. The type units B-inay be locked in this frame with. their faces pointing downwardly and with the backs of the type unit at the top.

This may be done, in any convenient way, as by set screws or by duoins. The figure shows the use ofconventionalfblocks'4 andiquoins 12. -When it' -is dcsired to thin the plate in the frame, these blocks andquoinsmaygbe, as shown, thinnerthan the frame "and disposed aboveIandb'elow the cutting slots '2,

' so as to avoidthe saw 5. These bloeksand application. In practice the quoins will probably not be severed, the end quoins- 3, and be severed by the cutsign in Fig. 4t is particularly adaptedto this being constructed in divided form to allow the saw tov pass, and the side quoins being either similarly divided, orelse being relin the construction of Figs. 1 and 2 either the quoins or blocks, or both, at the end of the framewhere the saw is started, must be made in upper and lower parts to provide a starting slot for the saw.

In Fig. 4 the frame is shown so arranged that the severing means may be more easily introduced, and so that its upper half may be hinged back or removed after the severing operation to facilitate the application 1 of heat and the introduction of planing and trimming tools,

locked in, the twohalves' of the frame will- While the type is being he held at one end by the hinge 10, and at the other end by the-bolts 7, thumb nuts 8,

.and the, removable bar .or washers 9, on the extensions .6. Once; thetype is securely fastened these nuts, ;bolts, and washers (or bar) may be itakenputto permit the introduction of "thefgisa orother severing means, wh le saidseve ringjmeans; held at both ends in a suitable. frame or; other carryin'g device. Removal of these'EbQItS and washersmay also be'necessitated by the use of a severing means with blade too wide to enter slot when they are in place. the type has been out the upper half of the frame may be hinged back to permit fusing, planing, and trimming.

After messes- In the appended claims the term cohesion will be used generically to cover both cohesion and adhesion in their narrow and opposed senses, SlIlCG'llJ is now generally considered good form to describe the intimate molecular uncture both of dissimilar bodies of cohesion.

It is obvlou's may be made in the procedure and construcand of similar bodies under the general head 'tion shown in the drawings and above particularly described, within the principle and y a V 1 scope of-my invention.

quolns could of; course be the full thickness of the type ting means as the type is severed; The .de-

1 claim:

1. The processof forming an integral type unit which consists in assembling separate type elements and uniting them by cohesive ,junctures, the back'surf'ace of said .integraltype unit being completely integrated.

2. The process of forming a printing plate which consists in assembling separate type elements and fusing them t0gether, the back surface of said plate being fused into an integral mass.

3. The process of forming an integral type unit which consists in assembling separate type elements, removing bottom por; tions thereof, and cohesively integrating the .heat to their back surface, the back surface of said plate unit being fused into' an integral mass.

5. The process of forming an integral type plate which consists in assembling type elements, and cohesively integrating them "by means requiring the use of heat while that various modifications v holding their typed face in contact with a cooling medium.

6. The process of formin a printing plate which consists in assembling type elenients, cohesively integrating them by means requiring the use of heat, and cooling their typedface by bringing it into contact with a metal plate. 7; The process Off forming a printing plate which consists in assembling type elehaving an integral back or bottom surlnents, fusing them, and holding their typed face. face in contact with a cooling'medium- 10. The process of forming a type column 8. The process. of forining a printing which comprises clamping a plurality of 15 5 platewhich consists in assembling type elelinotype bars with their type faces in the ments, fusing them, and holding their typed same plane, and fusing the adjacent back time in contact with a metal plate, I surfaces of said bars to each other into an 9 A type plate for printing comprising a integral body-of metal. plurality of. thinned linotype slugs, the- In testimony whereof I have aflixed my 20 10 edges of each of the-- slugs of said type signature to this specification.

plate being fused together to fol-in a plate LEWIS M. ADAMS. 

